Middle East

By Feras Abu-Helal | – ( Middle East Monitor ) – At the end of last month, Benjamin Netanyahu formed the most extreme Israeli government since the Occupation of Palestine in 1948. The government includes two of the most racist and extremist politicians, namely Itamar Ben-Gvir, head of the Otzma Yehudit Party, and Bezael Smotrich, […]

Featured

Israelis mass to Protest “Thuggish” “Fascist” new Government, as it Proceeds to Ensconce Apartheid toward Palestinians

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The new, far right wing government in Israel, some elements of which are fairly characterized as fascist, has in a few short days already generated a lot of news. It has provoked large demonstrations against itself by anti-fascist Israelis; it has elicited a strong international condemnation when one of its […]

Authoritarianism

Will Iran’s Protest Movement Survive?

Golnaz Esfandiari

( RFE/RL) – Antiestablishment protests have raged across Iran for months, despite a brutal state crackdown in which hundreds of demonstrators have been killed and thousands more detained. Triggered by the death of a young woman died after she was arrested by Iran’s morality police in mid-September, the ongoing nationwide protests have become the longest-running […]

Israel/ Palestine

Is Israel Being Turned into a Jewish Theocracy?

Middle East Monitor

By Mohammad Makram Balawi | – ( Middle East Monitor ) = Benjamin Netanyahu, the longest serving prime minister of Israel, built his entire career on confronting Iran. His argument is, Iran is building a nuclear weapon and its intent on using it against Israel and wiping out the Jewish people and he is the […]

Featured

Netanyahu Shocked at UAE cancellation of his State Visit after Extremists Storm Aqsa Mosque Complex

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Far right wing extremist Itamar Ben-Gvir led a group of Israeli fanatics up to the al-Aqsa Mosque complex this week, in a clear sign that he will pressure the new Israeli government, in which he has an official post, to make the area a place of worship for Jews. The […]

Iran

Why the Middle East is moving and must move away from Oil and Gas

Middle East Monitor

By Elif Selin Calik | – ( Middle East Monitor ) – In 2022, the biggest energy issue in the Middle East was Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) oil cut as the world economy entered into a period of ‘heightened uncertainty and rising challenges’. In October, OPEC cut its 2022 forecast for growth […]

Authoritarianism

Iran Leader Khamenei seems to Back-Pedal from Punishing Women for “Poor Veiling” after Months of Protest

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – According to the official Iranian press, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the “August Leader” of Iran, met Wednesday with hundreds of professional women and spoke about the controversies wracking the country regarding veiling. He stressed that the veiling of women is firmly part of Islamic law and there can be no retreat […]

Employment

Why Many Turkish People who migrated to European Countries are worse off than those who stayed at Home

The Conversation

By Sebnem Eroglu, University of Bristol | – (The Conversation) – Many people migrate to another country to earn a decent income and to attain a better standard of living. But my recent research shows that across all destinations and generations studied, many migrants from Turkey to European countries are financially worse off than those […]

Authoritarianism

Two Iranian Teens Reportedly Sentenced To Death Over Protests

Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty

By Ardeshir Tayebi | – Iran has reportedly sentenced two teenagers to death for “corruption on Earth” and “waging war against God” among other charges often used by the judiciary to help the government quell nationwide unrest sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in police custody. The U.S.-based activist group HRANA quoted […]